Madrid / Accommodation

[scooterscot]

Any good leads for places to look that don't involve agencies?

Could need a 12 month let soon...

[scooterscot]

No one, nadda, has any experience of working / living in Madrid?

[Paddy]

No one, nadda, has any experience of working / living in Madrid?

Yes but I stayed in a hotel. I would suggest you do the same and find accommodation when you are there. Madrid is much better than the tourist coast. Food and night life great and they don’t rip you off like on the costa’s. Public transport and taxis are very good.

[RichardCranium]

These two links do NOT answer your question, but both were written by Matt Walters of Capital Consulting and they do have a telephone number...

IT Contracting in Spain: Money & Tax

ii. Residencia

Once you have received your N I E, you need to apply for a residence permit (known as a Residencia). The forms are obtainable from the Town Hall. Once completed, you must return to the Town Hall with the completed questionnaires and relevant documentation.

Note: It is important to complete these formalities as soon as possible upon arrival, as they will greatly facilitate the opening of bank accounts and property rental.

IT Contracting in Spain: Living & Working

II. Accommodation

Renting a property for the duration of your contract is relatively easy in the main cities, although short-term properties become hard to find during the tourist season, especially in the south.

Prices for accommodation will of course vary depending on size and location, but a guideline figure of EUR 1200-2000 per month may be quoted for a small apartment in central Madrid.

[scooterscot]

cheers me dears

[MrMark]

I'll take a look later but you may find useful accommodation links on madridman.com and madridinsider.com (although more aimed at students renting rooms in shared appartment).
Edit: the best sites are unfortunately in Spanish (assuming you can't speak castellano). Can't remember the links, but will post later
If you hear of more contracts going there, let me know, I love the city. But you may find it cold to start with at this time of year!

[alreadypacked]

No one, nadda, has any experience of working / living in Madrid?

I worked in Madrid, stayed in hotel and had my wallet nicked.

The office was on the side of a hill north of Madrid and you could see the brown smog hanging over the city.

HTH

[MrMark]

Just remembered, you could try Craigs List. Also, Idealista.com is supposed to be good. May be worth looking up paginasamarillas (yellow pages)
Tip: pop into a couple of Irish pubs in Madrid when you arrive and pick up the local English language magazines (there are normally a couple in business at any given time). they normally have a decent classifieds section.
It may be worth booking a hostal (their equivalent of a b&b) for a few weeks until you know where you want to be based. Some hostals (so long as you choose 2 star and above) are actually quite decent - internet access, en-suite etc.

[darmstadt]

I did a short time in Madrid, Ministry of Statistics, which was nice. Stayed in a rather posh hotel on expenses but there were problems. They liked to start late, have a relaxed long lunch, do bugger all in the afternoon and then work late in the evening. Fair knackered me out. Also there were elections in some area of Spain which meant that the ministry was closed for the day and there was a semi-bank holiday declared. Okay I could work somewhere else which I did but then they packed up for the day and left me in some shopping centre in Madrid, everything was shut except for a sandwich shop where the bloke behind the counter was Oriental and spoke English (and gave me a good deal on the food) and was the only place I could buy fags. Airport was tulip.

[MrMark]

As far as I can make out, Idealista.com and segundamano.es are the main places to rent pisos (flats) and habitaciones (rooms). Look for "aquilar" on Idealista to see what's to rent. Of course, it may be difficult if you have no or little Spanish. In which case it may be better looking at Craigs List Madrid CraigsList
To be honest if I were you I'd book into a budget hotel or hostal for a couple of weeks, then pop in the Irish pub on a Saturday and ask around (as well as picking up the English magazines for the classifieds). The Brits often meet there on a Saturday to watch the EPL games live, and you'll be able to ask what the best areas are that are also convenient for your job. There are a couple of Irish pubs near metro Tribunal (Moore's and Triskel) that are good for meeting English-speaking expats. You may find the most up-to-date accommodation listings (hotels, apartments) and leisure time info here-
Madrid Guide. Cheap Accommodation: Hotels, hostels, apartments. Discounts, Tourism, Restaurants, Spanish Flamenco & Tablaos. Map Magazine
Another useful site: Madrid Insider | One Stop Site All About Madrid

It's not unusual for adverts to take the form of paper lists stuck on lampposts (and also in Print/copy shop walls); you can even see houses for sale advertised this way. Problem is going to be language, so you may need someone from work to help with interpreting, if you decide to follow this route.
Expensive things in Madrid? Books and clothes; also electricity. Most other things are cheaper (public transport and council tax are a lot cheaper), but you may find yourself spending more on food until you learn the budget places. Like London, you will generally pay more in the central part of the city. Get your travelcard at the beginning of the month,. and for around £50 for the month (what I pay for a weeks travelcard in London) you can get around the Spanish capital, and some commuter towns like Alcobendas and Las Rozas, using the Metro, trams or local trains (cercanias).

Lastly, if the thought of cold winter nights in Madrid don't appeal, you could always rent a place in Valencia and get the new high-speed train to Madrid each day - it takes one and a half hours. I'm not going to pretend it's cheap though, and obviously it depends also on the hours you need to work and where you'll be working in Madrid.
Any more questions, fire away.